


start a new fire

by Kittenixie



Series: the clover chronicles [1]
Category: Smile For Me (Video Game)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, American Sign Language, Flowers, Fluff, Gen, Language of Flowers, Sign Language, Speech Disorders, also the big event is mentioned but not in detail, flower kid's name is clover, habit adopts putunia and kamal adopts clover, i just needed a good sibling relationship, maybe a little under a year, parental abuse mentioned only extremely briefly, takes place like a year after canon, they adopted each other lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-10 23:43:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20143963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kittenixie/pseuds/Kittenixie
Summary: Clover "Flower Kid" Bora and Putunia Mollar stay in close contact after the Habitat closes. They have regular hangouts, they help each other out, and they protect each other.They're so close they might as well be siblings.





	start a new fire

Putunia sat in the cafe chair, kicking her legs idly and tapping on her phone screen. Her double mocha coffee, drowned in sugar and creamer, sat nearby on the table, mostly untouched. She hummed, tapping on her messaging app again.  _ On my way _ was the last message she’d gotten. While she wasn’t quite worried just yet, she  _ was _ a little confused. They were about ten minutes late by now, and they weren’t one to be horribly late. Still, she trusted that they’d say if something came up.

Her head shot up as she heard the bell from the door ring, immediately catching the eye of the kid who’d just entered. “Flower kid!” She called with a wave of her hand, making extra sure they saw. They covered their mouth in a silent chuckle, then made their way over, hands behind their back. Once they’d gotten to her table, they handed her a bouquet-- orange and yellow roses, white and blue chrysanthemums, blue tulips, and ivy. She gasped, breaking into a grin. “You didn’t have to get me anything!” She said with a small laugh, taking the bouquet and setting it nearby to free up Clover’s hands.

“ _ Sorry I’m late. I was finishing up at the flower shop and I wanted to bring you a gift. _ ” They knew Putunia was interested in flowers, and they had plenty at their disposal.

“What do they mean?” She asked, curious.

“ _ The roses are for friendship and caring, passion and energy. Chrysanthemums for support, blue tulips for loyalty, and ivy for long-term bonds. _ ” They obviously had their response at the ready, they’d likely expected the question. Putunia nodded, bright smile on her face.

“It means a lot, Clover! Go get your drink and sit,” she urged. Clover chuckled and nodded. Once they got their drink (a hot chocolate, because they didn’t like coffee-- Putunia could relate), they settled in the seat across from Putunia, smiling softly.

“How’s your speech therapy been going?” Putunia asked, tone light. It wasn’t an uncommon question, she was always curious about Clover’s progress, and they didn’t mind it at all.

Clover cleared their throat. “Hello, my name is Cla--” They shook their head. “Clover, and I like tah-- tuh…” They screwed up their face. Putunia made a gesture to her face, mouthing the rest of the sentence for them. “And I like to make people smile,” they said slowly, breaking into a grin. Putunia clapped her hands, wide smile on her face.

“You’re getting a lot better!” She chirped. Clover rubbed the back of their neck, signing a quick thanks. Putunia was a few years younger than them, but she knew the sentence they used every time she asked like the back of her hand, and they appreciated the help. Besides, they weren’t the only one practicing language.

“ _ Working on it, _ ” they signed. “ _ How’s your sign language? _ ” They smiled softly. Putunia was still working on watching the face instead of the hands, but that was okay. She’d get the hang of it if she kept it up.

“ _ Hello, my name is Putunia Mollar, and I like… _ ” She paused, and Clover caught her eye and did the next sign for her. “ _ Hanging out with my friends. _ ” Clover smiled brightly, nodding.

“ _ Better, _ ” they commented with a smile. Putunia had been taking ASL classes in an act of solidarity ever since she heard about Clover’s speech therapy. It was both to support Clover and just to learn. After all, nods and head shakes weren’t very clear forms of communication, and she was certain Clover appreciated being able to talk to her in words without a sheet of paper or a whiteboard. She certainly enjoyed the easier communication.

They’d been friends for about a year now, and their cafe meetings weren’t at all uncommon. The two stuck together through thick and thin, and the resulting bond was strong. Clover had fought for Putunia when she didn’t want to go back to her old home, and Putunia had fought for them when she realized that their home life wasn’t so good either. Of course, the other ex-habiticians helped, but none of it would’ve gotten kicked off without Clover’s push.

Habit or Kamal alone were much better than either of their ex-parents combined. Putunia did have to admit that she’d never thought Habit would be her dad one day, but she was happy with what she had. He was trying to do better, and it showed. Which reminded her.

“How is Kamal?” She asked, resting her arms on the table and leaning forward slightly.

“ _ Good. He’s been trying to learn more about the flowers so he can help out in the shop. _ ” They paused to take a sip of their hot chocolate, sighing through their nose. “ _ It’s a bit of a situation-- _ ” They paused when they noticed Putunia’s confused look and her tilted head. “ _ S-i-t-u-a-t-i-o-n, _ ” they fingerspelled, and she made a face of recognition, nodding. “ _ Because I can’t talk, so I kind of have to go through Kamal. And he doesn’t know all of the flowers yet, so he can’t make the perfect bouquets or anything. The store would really benefit-- b-e-n-e-f-i-t-- from having another expert. _ ” Putunia nodded slowly, humming in contemplation. “ _ How is Habit? _ ” Their sign name for her dad was a mix of the sign for ‘habitat’ and the one for ‘smile’. It was one of the first signs she’d learned straight from Clover.

“He’s good,” Putunia replied easily, sipping her coffee. Sickeningly sweet, just like she liked it. “He’s been keeping up with therapy and everything. He’s really trying, y’know?” Clover nodded enthusiastically. They were aware of how much better Habit was getting. After all, Putunia’s house was like a second home to Clover, and vice versa. Kamal was like, her second dad. Dad… two! “He’s kept up with his little garden, too. I think it really helps him.”

“ _ That’s good. _ ” Clover signed with a small smile. “ _ I’m glad he’s doing okay. He deserves a second chance. _ ” Nobody knew what happened at the Big Event. Clover was the only one left at the Habitat for that day, though Putunia had heard through the grapevine that Kamal and a few other adults had stuck around the place to meet them when they got out. Kamal was the only one to actually stay in the Habitat’s lobby. Neither of them were willing to share anything they’d seen or heard that day, but she  _ had _ caught wind of Clover’s state after the whole thing. They were lightheaded and a little giggly, and once they’d gotten out, they almost immediately passed out. Kamal had to carry them to get checked out by a doctor.

She’d heard it was laughing gas, or something similar. Clover didn’t like to talk about it. Neither did Habit or Kamal. Putunia didn’t ask.

Her point was that considering Clover had easily been the most effected by Habit, if they were willing to give him another chance, everyone else should, too. And they did, for the most part. Kamal was still a little hung up on it, she thought, but could she blame him? No, not really. He’d been effected too, being Habit’s assistant before everything happened. Not to mention that Clover was his kid now, and he’d had to see them in such a state. Still, she did wish they could get along.

...Hmm. Now that was a thought.

“Hey Clover, you said you need another florist?” Clover perked up slightly. Obviously she’d gotten their attention. “Well…” She twirled her hair in one hand. It’d grown out a bit over the past year. She wasn’t sure if she wanted it cut or not. Decisions, decisions. “...you know, my dad gardens, and everything…”

Clover’s expression went thoughtful, and they tapped their fingers on the table. They raised them after a few moments to answer. “ _ Well… Kamal doesn’t really… _ ” They made a vague gesture. “ _ I don’t know. He’s still a little upset. I don’t want to force him to talk to Habit before he’s ready. _ ” Putunia hummed, tapping a finger against her cheek. That was fair. She just wanted them to make up already. “ _ ...I’ll ask him. Who knows, maybe he’ll think about it. _ ” She nodded enthusiastically. It was all she could really ask of them, wasn’t it? It wasn’t as if they didn’t want their parents to get along, too. Clover paused. “ _ You know, you know some stuff about flowers, and you’re still learning more. You could come work at the shop, or just hang out. If you wanted. _ ”

Putunia was practically vibrating.

“ _ You don’t have-- _ ”

“Yes. Absolutely.” A wide grin split across her face. Clover smiled back.

“ _ I’ll still have to ask dad. But he’ll for sure say yes to you. You know he loves you. _ ” They let out a little laugh. “ _ You’re like, his second kid. _ ”

Putunia giggled. “Yeah, but same goes for you and Habit. He loves having you around.” Clover smiled, tapping on the table again. “So if I’m Kamal’s second kid, and  _ you’re _ Habit’s second kid, does that mean we’re siblings?” There was a long pause, long enough for her to start wondering if she should’ve kept her mouth shut, and then Clover reached out and ruffled her hair. She made an undignified squeak.

Clover pulled their hand back, smiling brightly. “ _ Of course. And if we’re siblings, you’re the best little sister ever, _ ” they signed with a small chuckle. Putunia beamed, too relieved and overjoyed to be upset by her mussed up hair.

“Then you’re the best big sibling ever!” She shot back, giggling. Clover took a sip of their hot chocolate, gentle smile on their face.

“ _ How about we finish these drinks and I can take you to the park-- hey, that doesn’t mean drink as fast as possible! _ ” Putunia was good at many things, but listening was not one of them. She slammed her empty coffee cup on the table, grinning. Clover shook their head fondly, drinking their hot chocolate. It took them a bit longer to drink theirs, not as willing to get an awful stomach ache, but it was just as well, since it gave Putunia’s poor stomach a chance to settle after what she just put it through. And the caffeine. Don’t forget the caffeine.

Clover led the way out of the cafe once they were done, Putunia holding the bouquet in her arms. “ _ We can stop by your house to drop those off, if you want, _ ” Clover offered. Putunia considered saying no, but she didn’t want to be holding them all day and they’d likely be safer indoors and in a vase. She nodded with a smile, following after them as they changed directions.

The Habitat wasn’t the best. Everyone knew that. But it did help them all, in a way. Putunia couldn’t regret going. Because now, Putunia had a dad who cared and an older sibling who would protect her.

Putunia would never regret running away to the Habitat. Never.

**Author's Note:**

> putunia deserves a sibling okay. i needed to write smth Soft
> 
> originally this was gonna be about clover and putunia trying to get their dads to make up but i am not confident i can write habit well so i decided to keep it simple for now anjkgtngjk
> 
> clover has developmental verbal dyspraxia which essentially means they have trouble moving their mouth in the right way when they talk, so they don't necessarily stutter, it's more of a slur when they mess up. they're also selective mute (only in part because of their dvd)
> 
> hopefully these characters weren't too terribly ooc anjkgn
> 
> the title is based off a lyric from rabbit hole by go! child because it has Good Vibes


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